KOCHI:Situated far away from the bustling city, Chottanikkara is a serene place, where even the breeze has an aroma of sanctity. The place, which is usually silent, turns itself into a livelily one, mainly on two festive occasions; during the Makam star in the month of ‘Kumbham’, when the famous ‘Makam Thozhal’ takes place, and during the Sabarimala season, as the temple is considered a base camp for the pilgrimage.
The road towards Chottanikkara, which is touted as the ‘land of temples’, does not offer a smooth ride. One has to overcome the regular features of a city like intermittent honking of motorists, reverberation of shouts, impatient waits at traffic signals and occasional bottlenecks to reach the place, which is calm and quiet like a devotee engaged in a silent prayer. Chottanikkara, hopefully, will witness sweeping changes as it is all set to play an anchor role in the ‘pilgrim tourism’ concept of the state.
Concept of‘ Temple Panchayat’
The state government’s plan to lend a hand to make Chottanikkara a ‘temple panchayat’ may have a tremendous impact on the future of the panchayat. While making the declaration at a function, Minister for Panchayats M K Muneer said that as Chottanikkara has a huge role to play in the pilgrim tourism initiative of the state, the government is keen to allot funds for the same.
He also added that as the panchayat has all favourable factors to convert it into a ‘temple panchayat’, a detailed plan is needed, which he directed the District Collector to prepare. Though a meeting in this regard is likely to be held between July 19 and 26 at Tripunithura Government Guest House which will be chaired by Minister for Food Anoop Jacob, the MLA of the constituency, the Chottanikkara grama panchayat says that it has already prepared a plan for making the panchayat compatible to the idea.
“As the flow of devotees thronging the temple is rising significantly every pilgrim season, the panchayat is of the view that basic facilities also have to be improved. At present, the surroundings of Chottanikkara Temple are reeling under problems like poor roads and inadequate waste treatment methods, among others. Our plan aims at addressing these flaws,” says Johnson Thomas, president of Chottanikkara Panchayat.
A ring road is likely to be constructed at Chottanikkara which will ease the traffic congestion during peak seasons, he adds.
On the other hand, proprietors of shops at the entrance of Chottanikkara Temple say that before converting the place into a ‘temple panchayat’, there are several issues which have to be addressed on a war footing.
“There is no need to search far to see a scene that damages the image of the panchayat. The Pathrakulam Road, just opposite the temple, is a telling example. Once rain clouds hover over the temple premises, our only prayer is to spare us from sewage water,” says sixty-year-old Vilasini.
The locals also say that it’s a nightmare to take a walk along the Pathrakulam Road during the rainy season as it gets flooded owing to poor construction.